BackgroundCOPD exacerbations requiring hospitalization increase morbidity and mortality. Although most COPD exacerbations are neutrophilic, approximately 10%–25% of exacerbations are eosinophilic.AimWe aimed to evaluate mortality and outcomes of eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic COPD exacerbations and identify new biomarkers that predict survival.MethodsA retrospective observational cohort study was carried out in a tertiary teaching hospital from January 1, 2014 to November 1, 2014. All COPD patients hospitalized with exacerbations were enrolled in the study at their initial hospitalization and followed-up for 6 months after discharge. Electronic data were collected from the hospital database. Subjects’ characteristics, hemogram parameters, CRP levels, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-mean platelet volume ratio on admission and discharge, length of hospital stay (days), readmissions, and mortality were recorded. Patients were grouped according to peripheral blood eosinophil (PBE) levels: Group 1, >2% PBE, eosinophilic; Group 2, non-eosinophilic ≤2%. Patient survival after hospital discharge was evaluated by Kaplan–Meier survival analysis.ResultsA total of 1,704 patients hospitalized with COPD exacerbation were included. Approximately 20% were classified as eosinophilic. Six-month mortality was similar in eosinophilic and non-eosinophilic groups (14.2% and 15.2%, respectively); however, the hospital stay length and readmission rate were longer and higher in the non-eosinophilic group (P<0.001 and P<0.01, respectively). CRP and NLR were significantly higher in the non-eosinophilic group (both P<0.01). The platelet-to-mean platelet volume ratio was not different between the two groups. Cox regression analysis showed that survival was negatively influenced by elevated CRP (P<0.035) and NLR (P<0.001) in the non-eosinophilic group.ConclusionNon-eosinophilic patients with COPD exacerbations with high CRP and NLR values had worse outcomes than eosinophilic patients. PBE and NLR can be helpful markers to guide treatment decisions.

OBJECTIVES:The choice of treatment according to the inflammation type in acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD) has been of recent interest. This study investigated the role of novel biomarkers, hospital outcomes, and readmission rates in the first month in patients with eosinophilic or neutrophilic AECOPD. MATERIALS AND METHODS:We conducted a retrospective observational cohort study in a Chest Teaching Hospital with hospitalized AECOPD patients. Subjects' characteristics, hemogram results, C-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/ lymphocyte ratio (PLR), platelet/mean platelet volume (PLT/MPV), length of hospital stay, mortality, and steroid use were recorded. Eosinophilic AECOPD defined as peripheral blood eosinophilia (PBE) was >2% and neutrophilic AECOPD as PBE ≤2%. Readmission within 28 days of discharge was recorded. RESULTS:Of 2727(31.5% females) patients, eosinophilic AECOPD was found in 510 (18.7%) patients. Leucocytes, CRP, NLR, and PLR were significantly higher in neutrophilic AECOPD than in eosinophilic AECOPD (p<0.001). Steroid use and mortality rate were 45% and 0.6% in eosinophilic AECOPD and 71%, and 1.4% in neutrophilic AECOPD, respectively (p=0.001, p=0.19). Age >75 years, albumin <2.5 g/dL, CRP >50 mg/dL, and PLT/MPV <20×103 were found to be risks factors for hospital mortality (p<0.05 each). Readmission rates within 28 days of discharge were 5% (n=136), and this rate was higher in eosinophilic AECOPD patients not taking steroids (p<0.001).CONCLUSION: NLR, PLR, and CRP levels were higher in neutrophilic AECOPD compared with eosinophilic AECOPD. These markers decreased with treatment in neutrophilic AECOPD. A PLT/MPV ratio of <20×103 resulted in an increased mortality rate. Thus, appropriate steroid therapy may reduce readmission rates in the first 28 days after discharge in eosinophilic AECOPD.

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OBJECTIVES:Inadequate adaptation to long-term treatment of chronic illnesses is the most common reason for the inability to obtain the benefits medications can provide. Treatment compliance is influenced by several factors. Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ) developed by Horne et al. in 1999 to evaluate the cognitive representation of medicines have many validation studies, which resulted in good psychometric properties. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the BMQ Turkish translation in patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). MATERIAL AND METHODS:Fifty asthma and 50 COPD patients participated in this methodological study. The scale was adapted to Turkish through translation, comparison with other language versions, back translation, and a pre-test. The structural validity was assessed using factor analysis. RESULTS:Similar to the original scale, factor analysis confirmed that BMQ had a four-factor structure that accounts for 58.23% of the total variance. The BMQ showed an acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient: specific-necessity, 0.832: specificconcerns, 0.722; general-harm, 0.792; and general-overuse, 0.682). The factor analysis revealed the same patterns for all questions between the Turkish and original scales. CONCLUSION:The psychometric properties of the BMQ were consistent with those reported in the original study. We found that the Turkish translation of BMQ is a valid and reliable tool for assessing medicine-related beliefs in patients with asthma and COPD.

suMMAry Does eosinophilia and neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio affect hospital re-admission in cases of copD exacerbation? Introduction: We aimed to assess the relationship between peripheral eosinophilia and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio with hospital admissions and re-admissions with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations.

AIM: Information regarding the Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in sarcoidosis and the data from studies recommending its use as an indicator of infl ammation and in the differential diagnosis and prognosis, are limited. With this study, it was aimed to obtain data regarding the NLR level in the patients at the time of presentation to the hospital and to determine the characteristics of patients in whom the NLR value was > 2. RESULTS: During the study period, of the 3434 patients with the sub-diagnosis of D86, 1300 cases whose complete blood count values had been recorded at the time of presentation were included in the study. Of the cases, 40 % were pulmonary sarcoidosis, 7 % were pulmonary sarcoidosis with sarcoidosis of the lymph nodes, 8 % were lymph node sarcoidosis, 1 % were sarcoidosis, of other combined areas, and 40 % of the cases were sarcoidosis that were unspecifi ed. The F/M of the cases were 947/353, and the average age of the cases was 44. When the sarcoidosis groups were grouped into NLR < 2 (Group 1) and NLR ≥ 2 (Gorup 2), 27 % were Group 1, 73 % were Group 2, and a signifi cant correlation was found between the two groups. When the infl ammatory indicators were compared with NLR, the PLT/MPV was found to be statistically insignifi cant, and the ACE, ESR and CRP were found to be statistically signifi cant. CONCLUSION: The Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio in the complete blood count, which is an easy and cheap test, can be used as an indicator of infl ammation in Sarcoidosis. In clinical practice, wide-based studies comprising the activity and the staging in the prognosis of sarcoidosis are required (Tab. 2, Fig. 2, Ref. 26). Text in PDF www.elis.sk.

Objective: Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic disease, exact cause of disease is unknown but it is assumed that genetic predisposition and ethnic factors play a role in etiology. Studies related with familial sarcoidosis is limited and only case reports about familial sarcoidosis is available from our country. We aimed to evaluate the prevelance of familial sarcoidosis and clinical findings of cases with familial sarcoidosis. Methods:We retrospectively documented file records of 678 patients diagnosed with sarcoidosis and followed up in outpatient clinic of sarcoidosis from January 1996 to February 2016. 28 familial sarcoidosis cases in 14 families were enrolled into the study. Their demographic findings, family relationship, symptoms, laboratory and pulmonary function test results, radiological apperances, diagnostic methods, treatments were recorded.Results: Twenty-eight sarcoidosis patients out of 678 reported as familial cases, giving a prevelance of familial sarcoidosis as 4%. There were 8 sarcoidosis sib, 4 sarcoidosis mother-child, 1 sarcoidosis father-child and 1 sarcoidosis cousin relationship. Female/male ratio was 1.8, mean age of the study population was 43, most freguent symptoms were cough and dyspnea, stage 2 was mostly seen according to chest X-ray, most common CT appearance was mediastinal lymphadenopathy and mediastinoscopy was the most freguent diagnostic method. Conclusion:This study is important to lead interrogation of family in patients with suspected sarcoidosis and future studies investigating familial aggregation in sarcoidosis.